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Of the works by Franz Brentano (1838-1917) which have appeared in thus far, perhaps none is better suited to convey a clear idea of the English spirit of the man that this volume of his lectures on proving the existence of God. In order to understand his metaphysics, it would he better to read The Theory of Categories; in order to master the finer points of his psychology, it would be better to read Psychology From an Empirical Standpoint; in order to appreciate his ethical theory, it would be better to read The Origin of Our Knowledge of Right and Wrong or, for a more thorough treatment, The Foundation and Construction of Ethics. But in order to see what it was that gave Brentano the enthusiasm and dedication to do all that work and much more besides, it is necessary to find out what Brentano believed the philosophical enterprise itself to be; and this comes forth most vividly when he bends his philosophical efforts to the subject he considered most important of all, namely, natural theology. For, like Socrates, Brentano brought a kind of religious fervor to his philosophy precisely because he saw it as dealing much better than religion does with the matters that are closest to our hearts.
List of contents
Introduction: The Theoretical and Practical Interest of the Question of God's Existence.- One: Preliminary Inquiries.- First Preliminary Inquiry: Is the Inquiry Superfluous?.- Second Preliminary Inquiry: Is it Evident a Priori That the Existence of God is Impossible to Prove?.- Two: The Proofs of the Existence of God.- A Survey of the Proofs Attempted throughout the History of Philosophy.- The Teleological Proof First Part: The Appearance of Teleology.- Second Part: The Reality of Teleology.- Third Part of the Teleological Proof: From an Ordering Intelligence to a Creator.- The Proof from Motion.- The Proof from Contingency.- The Psychological Proof.- Completion of the Proof of the Existence of God.- The Train of Thought in the Proof of God's Existence (1915).- One: On the Necessity of All Existing Things.- Two: On the First, Directly Necessary Cause.- Three: Concerning Theodicy.- Editor's Foreword to the German Edition, by Alfred Kastil.- Editorial Notes by Alfred Kastil.
